Verbs are special words. They describe action. Nothing would ever get
done if it were not for the verbs. Look at a sentence on your screen or
on paper -- it just lies there listless, a mere collection of random words
until a verb comes to infuse life into it. This week we'll feature five
unusual verbs - words for a few things you most likely don't do every day.

homologate

PRONUNCIATION:

(huh-MOL-uh-gayt, ho-)

MEANING:

verb tr.:
1. To approve officially.
2. To register a specific model of a motor vehicle to make it eligible to
take part in a racing competition.

Some auto racing competitions require participating vehicles to be
available for sale to the general public, and not be custom made for racing.
The process of homologation verifies this. The initials GTO listed after some
auto names (Ferrari, Pontiac, etc.) mean "Gran Turismo Omologato", Italian for
"Grand Touring, Homologated".

USAGE:

"Mr Jimmy Gray said: 'We've major issues which appear to be discussed in
the press. Decisions are made and then we're asked to homologate these
decisions."
Labour Group Leader Hits Out; Aberdeen Press & Journal (UK); Jul 9, 2007.

"What was needed was a more streamlined street car to homologate for racing."
Malcolm Gunn; Parked on the Showroom Floor; Chicago Daily Herald;
Oct 18, 2009.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Go to where the silence is and say something. -Amy Goodman, investigative journalist, columnist and author (b. 1957)